Curved Load Support for Use on a Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A load carrier or extender arm suitable for use on pick-up trucks or other vehicles includes telescoping curved bars that allow adjustment of the height of a load support cross arm or other support surface relative to a vehicle hitch receiver in which the device is mounted. The curvature of the two members increases the elevation of the device to avoid bottoming out. The rear curved member is part of a T-shaped load support with a cross arm extending laterally of the curved member. The extender arm is especially suited for transporting boats, canoes and kayaks in a pick-up truck.

CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR CO-PENDING APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of priorco-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/813,620 filed on Apr.18, 2013 and is a continuation of prior copending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/919,075 filed Jun. 17, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is related to a load carrier or extender that isattachable to a vehicle and to a standard hitch receiver on the vehicle.This invention also relates to a load carrier or extender that isadjustable so that the location of the load support can be alteredrelative to the rear of the vehicle or to the hitch receiver.

2. Description of the Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,092 discloses a drawbar load support or carrier thatcan extend from a hitch receiver at the rear of a vehicle, such as apick-up truck. Although referred to as a continuously curved drawbar,this prior art drawbar has a first straight section that appears toextend rearwardly from the hitch receiver to beyond a tail gate. At thatpoint, the straight section joins a curved section that rises above thehitch receiver. An adjustable T-bar is then mounted to an adapter at therear of the curves section so that the elevation of the load, supportedby the drawbar can be varied. The partial curvature of the drawbar isintended to reduce the amount of high load impact that is transferred tothe hitch receiver. Although the partial curvature of this drawbar mayin some circumstances provide some additional ground clearance, thatclearance is either limited or the height adjustment range of the priorart adjustable T-bar is limited. If the T-bar is too long, the drawbarmay bottom if the lower vertical portion of the T-bar extends below theelevation of the straight section or the hitch receiver. Any groundclearance of reduction in the deflection of this prior art drawbar isthus significantly reduce if the vertical arm of the adjustable T-barstrikes the ground as the vehicle traverse an inclination or elevationchange. The T-bar adapter subassembly also adds components to thedrawbar assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Unlike the prior art, the extender arm of the present invention iscurved from the hitch receiver connection at the front of the extenderarm to the load support subassembly at the rear. This providesadditional ground clearance relative to the prior art, under all loadconditions. Adjustment of this T-bar load support subassembly isprovided by two telescoping curved extender bars in the form on tubes,one insertable into the other. This simplifies the structure of theextender bar by eliminating adapters, weight and fabrication stepsbelieved to be required by the prior art. The instant invention is alsosuitable for use with different vehicles in which the elevation of theload support bed or surface relative to the location of the standardhitch receiver my vary. This elevation is not standard for all vehicles,and for that matter on all pick-up trucks. One extender arm can thus beused on different vehicles, without the need for any dimensionalchanges, other than telescoping adjustment of the two primary componentsof the device represented by the embodiment depicted herein.

According to one aspect of this invention, the extender arm supports aload extending beyond a vehicle. The extender arm has a hitch connectionsection mountable to a hitch receiver on the vehicle. A first curvedextender bar section extends upwardly from the hitch connection sectionand extending upwardly from a rear end of a vehicle when the extenderarm is mounted in the hitch receiver on the vehicle. A second curvedextender bar section telescopes relative to the first curved extenderbar section. A load support member, preferably including a cross arm ismounted on the second curved extender bar section. The second curvedextender bar section can be shifted relative to the first extender barsection to alter the length of the extender arm and to shift the loadsupport member vertically so that the extender arm will support loads atdifferent elevations relative to the hitch connection section and thehitch receiver to which the hitch connection section is mounted.

According to another aspect of this invention, the extender arm includesan extender tube attachable to a hitch receiver on the vehicle. Thisextender tube is continuously curved for the majority of its length. AT-shaped support member has a curved bar to which a cross bar is fixed.The curved bar is mounted on the continuously curved extender tube andtelescoping relative thereto between multiple positions, so that thelength and height differential between opposite ends of the extender armcan be varied, so that the extender arm can be with different vehiclesin which the elevation between the load and the hitch receiver differs.

This invention also is directed to an apparatus for transporting a boatin a pick-up truck having a bed and a hitch receiver mounted on the rearof the pick-up truck. A second extender bar extends from a firstextender bar and telescoping relative thereto. Both the first extenderbar and the second extender bar are curved along a constant radius ofcurvature in a section in which the first and second extender barsrelatively telescope. A cross bar is fixed to the second extender bar sothat as the second extender bar telescopes relative to the firstextender bar. The elevation of the cross bar relative to the hitchreceiver changes to level the boat relative to the pick-up truck bed andto support a portion of the boat extending beyond the pick-up truck bed.

According to another aspect of this invention, one component of theextender arm is an extender tube attachable at a first end to a hitchreceiver on the vehicle. The extender tube has a rectangular crosssection with curved corners and is continuously curved for the majorityof its length. A cross member is attached to a second end of the curvedextender tube with the cross member being intersected by the curvedextender member to form a T-shaped configuration. The cross memberextends laterally beyond the extender tube on both ends thereof, whereinthe cross member has a circular cross section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a view showing the extender arm of this invention supportinga boat that extends beyond the bed of a pick-up truck. FIGS. 1B and 1Care views showing the clearance provided when a truck with a load, suchas a boat, canoe or kayak passes from one ground surface which extendsat an angle relative to another.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the extender arm showing how the curvearm sections are telescoped.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are three dimensional views of the telescoping extenderarm viewed from different orientations.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the entire extender arm showing the manner inwhich the second arm sections telescopes relative to the first extenderarm section.

FIGS. 5A-5D are views showing the curved inner extender bar member thatis attachable to a vehicle hitch receiver. FIG. 5A is a side view of theinner extender bar member and FIG. 5B is a three dimensional view. FIG.5C is a fragmentary view of the trailing edge of this member, and FIG.5D is a top view of this inner extender bar member.

FIG. 6A-6D are views of the T-shaped curved outer extender bar sectionthat telescopes relative to the curved inner extender bar member shownin FIGS. 5A-5D. FIG. 6A is a three dimensional view and FIG. 6B is arear view. FIG. 6C is a side view and FIG. 6D is a detailed view showingthe transverse load support bar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The representative embodiment of the load extender arm 20 of thisinvention is especially suited for use in transporting a boat, kayak orcanoe 10 in a pick-up truck 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The extender arm 20can be attached to a hitch receiver as shown in FIG. 1, and the arm 20will extend beyond the rear end 6 of the truck. The curved extender arm20 not only extends rearwardly, but also extends upwardly. The curvedextender arm 20 includes two extender bar sections 30 and 50 whichtelescope relative to each other, so that they will support a load, suchas the canoe 10, which extends beyond the truck or vehicle 2. Since thevertical as well as the horizontal reach of the curved extender arm 20can be varied, the canoe 10 or other load can be supported on the samelevel as the truck or vehicle bed 4. It should be understood however,that the extender arm 20 is also suited for supporting various loadsthat would extend beyond the rear of a vehicle, and is not limited touse in transporting sporting equipment. This invention can also beemployed with other items, such as lumber or construction equipment.

An important aspect of extender arm 20 is that the same arm assembly canbe used on different vehicles or trucks. The extender arm 20 can bemounted on a standard hitch receiver 8 that would be located beneath avehicle, such as at the rear end 6 of pick-up truck 2. The height of thebed 4 of different vehicles is not located at the same differentialelevation with respect to the height of the standard hitch receiver 8.Extender arm 20 therefor has two main components, the first curvedextender bar section 30 and the T-shaped support member 40 that includesa second curved extender bar section 50. In use, the first extender barsection 30 is mounted the hitch receiver 8, and the second curvedextender bar section 50 telescopes relative to the first curved extenderbar section 30 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The radius of curvature of thetwo curved sections 30 and 50 is the substantially the same and thecurvature is relative to the same center of curvature to allow thistelescoping motion. This telescoping motion alters both the horizontallength and the vertical height differential between a forward end and arear end of the extender arm 20. Thus the extender arm 20 can bepositioned to accommodate loads, such as boats or kayaks 10 that are ofdifferent lengths. Telescoping the extender arm 20 also allows one tokeep the boat or kayak or other load 10 level relative to the bottom ofthe truck bed 4. The curvature of both extender bar sections 30 alsoallows a relatively large clearance between the extender arm 20 and theground, since the lowest elevation of the extender arm 20 is theelevation of the hitch receiver 8, and that occurs at the rear end 6 ofthe vehicle. This will provide clearance even when a vehicle is backingup into the side of a hill, or across an obstacle. The curvature of thisextender arm 20 also increases the weight that can be carried by an armof a given size and weight, since the curvature increases the bendingmoment that can be withstood.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the extender arm 20 and the T-shaped support member40, on which a load, such as canoe, boat, or kayak 10 will rest. A crossarm 72, which will comprise a load support member engaging the load,extends transversely relative to the second extender bar section 50 andto the first extender bar section 30. The cross arm 72 is intersected bythe extender arm 20, and the centerline of the cross arm 72 iscoincident with the generally curved centerline of the two curved barsections 30 and 50. In the preferred embodiment, this cross arm 72extends perpendicular to the extender bar sections and equidistant onboth sides thereof. Attachment ears 74 are located adjacent oppositeends of cross arm 72.

The front or first extender bar section 30 is shown in more detail inFIGS. 5A-5D. In the preferred embodiment, this curved extender barsection 30 is formed by continuously bending an initially straightrolled aluminum tube having a generally two inch by two inch crosssquare cross section that is approximately 0.188 inch thick. The cornersare radiused. The radius of curvature of the outer convex surface 34would be 65.378 inches. These dimensions are for the initial embodimentof this invention and are merely representative. The material and thedimensions could be varied within a range that would be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art. The material and dimensions could also bealtered if the device were to be used for much larger loads than thetypes of long loads that might be carried in a standard pick-up truck.

As best seen in FIG. 5A, the curved portion of extender bar 50 has aslightly smaller than the relatively straight hitch connection section22 at the front end. This reduced dimensions results when the initiallystraight tube, having the dimensions of the hitch connection section 22,are bent about a constant radius of curvature. The straight hitchconnection section 22 will fit within a standard hitch receiver 8 of thetype commonly used on pick-up trucks and other vehicles. The length ofhitch connection section 22 is at least equal to the operative length ofthe standard hitch receiver 8 into which it is to be inserted.Preferably the length of hitch connection section 22 is limited so thatit merely fills the hitch receiver 8 and the curvature of the firstextender bar section 30 will begin at or quite close to the exit of thehitch receiver 8 and at the rear end 6 of the vehicle. A largerextension of the straight hitch connection section 22 will detract fromthe ground clearance allowed by the curvature of the curved extender arm20. In the preferred embodiment depicted herein the length of the hitchconnection section 22 will be 5.250 inches, although other dimensionscould be employed. When the hitch connection section 22 is inserted intoa standard hitch receiver 8, a mounting hole 24, extending though bothsides will be positioned in alignment with a corresponding hole on thehitch receiver 8 and a pin can be inserted to secure the extender arm 20to the hitch receiver 8 and to the vehicle 2. The angled portion of thetube at the front is not functional but is helpful in securing the tubein a conventional bending apparatus for fabrication. The overall lengthof the preferred embodiment of the front curved extender bar section 30is forty-three inches and the elevation change between opposite ends ofthe curved bar section 30 is twelve inches, plus a fraction of theheight of the tube. Of course these dimensions are only representative,but these representative dimensions are relevant to, but not equal to,the range of length and elevation changes that the extender arm 20 canaccommodate.

When mounted on the vehicle 2, the convex surface 34 of the extender barsection 20 will face downward, and the opposite concave surface 32 willface upward. A hole 36 is located adjacent the rear end of the extenderbar section 20. This hole or aligned holes 36 extend though both theconcave upper surface 32 and the convex lower surface 34. In the topview of FIG. 5D, the hole 36 in the concave upper surface 32 is shownand the hole or aligned hole 36 extending through the lower convexsurface 34 is hidden and shown as a hidden line. The axis of hole 36 orthe aligned holes 36 will extend through the center of curvature of thecurved section so that a mounting pin can be inserted through holes 36and also through the second or rear extender bar section 50, which willbe inserted into the rear end of the first or front extender bar section30. A tab 38 is located at the rear end of the concave inner surface.This tab 38 also has a hole into which a binding bolt extends and iscinched down to prevent vibration. If the tab were eliminated, then thebinding bolt would need to engage threads formed in the arm, and thesetreads might be more easily stripped.

The T-shaped support member 40 is shown in greater detail in FIGS.6A-6D. T-shaped support member 40 includes a second curved extender barsection 50 which is attached to a load support cross arm 72. It shouldbe understood that the term T-shaped is understood to be descriptive ofthe support member 40 even though the one of the members forming theT-shape is curved. Preferable the second curved extender bar section 50is welded to the load support cross arm 72, although other attachmentmeans could be employed. In the embodiment of this invention depictedherein the cross arm 72 is rigidly secured or attached to the rear endof the second curved extender bar section 50 by welding the two memberstogether.

The second curved extender bar section 50 is formed in substantially thesame manner as the first curved extender bar section 30, and it iscurved about the same relative center of curvature. The second curvedextender bar section 50 does not, however, have a straight section, suchas hitch connection section 22. The width and height of the secondextender bar section 50 will be less than the width and height of thetube forming the first extender bar section 30, so that the secondcurved extender bar section 50 can be inserted into the first extenderbar section 30, and will telescope relative thereto to change the lengthand height differential of the extender arm 20. A series of preferablyequally spaced holes 56 extend through at least the concave uppersurface 52, as shown in FIG. 6A. Corresponding aligned holes can extendthrough the lower convex surface 54. Individual holes 56 can be alignedwith hole or holes 36 in the first extender bar section 30 so that theT-shaped support member 40 can be shifted between multiple positions asthe second curved extender bar section 50 is telescoped within the firstcurved extender bar section 30. A pin, not shown, will be insertedthrough aligned holes 36, 56 to secure the bard 30 and 50 in a positionso that the desired length and height of the extender arm 20 relative tothe hitch receiver 8 and the vehicle bed 4 or the load 10 can beestablished.

The load support cross arm 72 comprises a tubular cylinder havingcircular outer surface and a generally circular cross section. Thiscircular surface will provide a surface that will facilitate loading aboat or other member, for example lumber, onto a vehicle 2. In thepreferred embodiment depicted herein, this tube comprises an extrudedaluminum tube that has three internal strengthening ribs 76 radiatingfrom a central cylindrical hub. This provides additional rigidity to thecross arm 62, but it is not essential that the cross section conform tothis preferred configuration, best seen in FIG. 6D. A simple cylindricaltube would also be functional.

Attachment or attachment ears 74 are secured adjacent opposite ends ofthe cross arm 72. These attachment ears 74 extend upwardly relative tothe cross arm 73, when the extender arm is in use. Preferably, theseattachment ears 74 are permanently bonded to the cross arm 72, forexample by welding. Although the ears 74 may be rigidly bonded to thecross arm 72, they will rotate relative to the vertical and to the firstcurved extender bar section 30 as the second curved extender bar section50 is telescoped inward and outward. These attachment ears 74 caninclude holes, so that a binding member, such as a rope can be securedto opposite attachment ears 74 to secure the load in place. The ears 74also extend upwardly by a sufficient distance to abut the load 10 ifthere was a tendency for it to slide from side to side.

By employing curved telescoping members 30 and 50 to adjust both thelength and height of the extender arm 20, this device avoids onesignificant problem encountered by prior art devices and commercialextender arms, support bars or drawbars. Nothing extends below the lowerconvex, curved surface 34 of tubular member 30. The extender arm 20 canbe adjusted without the need of a bracket or shiftable vertical arm thatis required in prior art devices, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No.5,938,092. In prior art and commercial devices, these shiftable verticalarms extend below the primary drawbar member and reduce groundclearance. Furthermore this reduction in ground clearance occurs at therearmost end of the prior art drawbar member. If the end of the drawbar,and particularly the lower end of a vertical arm extending below theprimary drawbar member strikes the ground, the relatively long momentarm will create a maximum stress in the front portion of the drawbar atthe point where it is inserted into the hitch receiver in the vehicle.Repeated impacts at the end of the drawbar with the ground, as thevehicle traverses or encounters changes in the slope or inclination ofground surfaces, for example upon entering or exiting parking lots, willdamage the drawbar where it enters the hitch. Internal stresses orrusting can occur, especially if a protective coating is compromised,and the life of commercial devices of this type have been reduced. Thecurvature of the lowermost extent of the extender arm 20 of the instantinvention will therefore allow a larger departure angle or angle ofdescent to be traversed without striking the ground. This enhancedability of the extender arm 20 to traverse large departure angles orslope changes is shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C. If the boat or load extendssignificantly beyond the rear end of extender arm 20, which would be thecase in many situations, the rear of the load, instead of the rear ofthe extender arm 20 would actually strike the ground first.

The representative embodiment depicted herein is not the only version ofthis invention that could be adapted to a vehicle. For example, a largerversion, having the same basic characteristics could be employed for usewith larger trucks carrying larger loads. A smaller version might bemore suitable for an off the road vehicle.

The preferred embodiment disclosed herein is representative of theinvention, and other versions, which do not depart from the scope ofthis invention would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.This invention is therefore not defined by the embodiment depictedherein, but are instead defined by the following claims.

1-22. (canceled)
 23. An extender arm for supporting a load extendingbeyond a vehicle, the extender arm comprising: a hitch connectionsection mountable to a hitch receiver on the vehicle; a first curvedextender bar section extending upwardly from the hitch connectionsection and extending upwardly from a rear end of a vehicle when theextender arm is mounted in the hitch receiver on the vehicle; a secondcurved extender bar section attachable to the first curved extender barsection and telescoping relative thereto; and a load support membermounted on the second curved extender bar section; the second curvedextender bar section being shiftable relative to the first curvedextender bar section to both alter the length of the extender arm and toshift the load support member vertically along a curved path so that theextender arm will support loads at different elevations relative to thehitch connection section and the hitch receiver to which the hitchconnection section is mounted; wherein curvature of the first and secondextender bars and relative movement of the first curved extender barsection and the second extender bar section along a curved path definesa series of different heights for the load support member.
 24. Theextender arm of claim 23 wherein the second curved extender bar sectionis insertable into the first curved extender bar section.
 25. Theextender arm of claim 23 wherein the hitch connection section has alength only sufficient to be mounted to a hitch receiver, the remainingsections of the extender arm being curved so that the elevation of theextender arm increases continuously from the hitch receiver.
 26. Theextender arm of claim 23 wherein the load support member comprises a barextending transversely from the second curved extender bar section. 27.The extender arm of claim 26 wherein the bar extends laterally beyondthe second curved extender bar section on both sides thereof to form across bar.
 28. The extender arm of claim 27 wherein attachment earsextend upwardly from the cross bar.
 29. The extender arm of claim 23wherein the first and second curved extender bar sections each comprisehollow tubes.
 30. The extender arm of claim 23 wherein the second curvedextender bar section includes a plurality of spaced holes extendingthrough a concave upper side thereof and the first curved extender barsection includes at least one hole in a concave upper side thereof sothat the second extender bar section can be pinned relative to the firstextender bar section in number of different positions to vary the lengthof the extender arm.
 31. An extender arm for supporting a load extendingbeyond a vehicle to which the extender arm is attachable, the extenderarm comprising: an extender tube attachable to a hitch receiver on thevehicle, the extender tube being continuously curved for the majority ofits length; a T-shaped support member having a curved bar to which across bar is fixed, the curved bar being mounted on the continuouslycurved extender tube and telescoping relative thereto between multiplepositions , so that the length and height differential between oppositeends of the extender arm can be varied, so that the extender arm can beused with vehicles in which the elevation between the load and the hitchreceiver differs wherein curvature of extender tube and curved bar andrelative movement of the first extender tube and the curved bar along acurved path defines a series of different heights for T-shaped supportmember.
 32. The extender arm of claim 31 wherein the curved bar isinsertable into the continuously curved extender tube.
 33. The extenderarm of claim 31 wherein both the extender tube and the curved barcomprise hollow members having a rectangular cross section.
 34. Theextender arm of claim 33 wherein the cross bar comprises a circularcylindrical member.
 35. The extender arm of claim 34 wherein the crossbar comprises a hollow member with a constant cross section includingmultiple, mutually transverse internal strengthening ribs.
 36. Anapparatus for transporting a boat in a pick-up truck having a bed and ahitch receiver mounted on the rear of the pick-up truck, the apparatuscomprising; a first extender bar insertable into the hitch receiver onthe rear of the pick-up truck; a second extender bar extending from thefirst extender bar and telescoping relative thereto, wherein both thefirst extender bar and the second extender bar are curved along aconstant radius of curvature in a section in which the first and secondextender bars relatively telescope; a cross bar fixed to the secondextender bar so that as the second extender bar telescopes relative tothe first extender bar, the elevation of the cross bar relative to thehitch receiver being changed along a curved path having the same radiusof curvature as the first and second extender bars to level the boatrelative to the pick-up truck bed and to support a portion of the boatextending beyond the pick-up truck bed.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36wherein the second extender bar is curved along its entire length. 38.The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the cross bar has a circularcylindrical cross section so that the boat can slide along the cross baras the boat is loaded into the pick-up truck bed.